ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — happy
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com